Monthly Archives: February 2015

With a growing number of compensation claims arising from cases of historic sexual abuse and more recent high profile cases of sexual grooming, Tim Whewell investigates the key role which insurance companies play. In representing the local authorities where scandals occurred, insurers naturally seek to limit liability but are they doing so at a cost to victims? Lawyers say they have to battle to get access to files and other information – causing further distress and delaying help for those damaged by abuse. Some say the fight is getting harder as insurance companies have toughened their approach in recent years. And, with a national inquiry into historic cases of child sex abuse, how much influence did insurance companies have on the way some past investigations were carried out? File on 4 talks to senior local authority insiders who say they were told to alter their approach to abuse investigations to protect the insurers’ interests. But was that at the expense of children at risk?

Following up on the report in this weeks Advertiser regarding Jahangir Akhtar’s taxi licence suspension, we have a number of direct questions for Jahangir:

What did you know about the uses of taxis for CSE in the late 90’s and early 2000’s when you were the single most powerful and influential Taxi driver in Rotherham and co owner of a firm?

When you were de facto leader of the taxi drivers, When you were their lead representative on licensing committees, including representing drivers faced with loss of license for reasons of crimes including sexual assault.

The world of the permanent, full time taxi driver is a small one. They meet up at the office, and regularly and when hanging around waiting for fares. They gossip, discuss rates, difficult customers and human nature being as it is, girls. Among the Pakistani community this world is even smaller, with jobs and even…

Father Tony McSweeney has been found guilty on 4 charges . One count indecent assault and three counts of making indecent images of a child.

He was found not guilty on four other charges.

That might be the end of Operation Fernbridge and it will be interesting to see if the police or CPS comment. I’ll wait and see if they do before commenting myself in more detail about Grafton Close and Elm Guest House.

A man sexually abuses a 5 year old girl and when she reports it to the police 35 years later 3 of the man’s family beat the victim up.

What do you think Judge Simon Carr did ?

He lets all 4 walk free from court.

Christopher Prowse received a suspended sentence for indecent assault.

Christopher Prowse

Sentencing, Judge Simon Carr said the incident had been “disgraceful”.

“You deliberately assaulted a five-year-old child,” he said. “That would have been terrifying for her as it would have been confusing and embarrassing.”

He said the victim had shown him “enormous compassion” by not going to the police in the mid-2000s but that when the matter became known locally, Prowse had acted in a cowardly way by denying it – an action which led some people to consider the woman a liar.